


It's Like Catching Lightning

by TheBlackWook



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Prince Charming at least, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 14:39:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackWook/pseuds/TheBlackWook
Summary: When a ball is held and the prince misses his cook, then only one solution appears to him : invite the cook to join him !





	It's Like Catching Lightning

_One... Two... Three..._

He could hear the drumming of feet following the music from above. Given the slow rhythm, most likely a waltz, Ciro guessed. People's chatter and laughter also arrived to his ears: the ball was surely beautiful and a real success. He sighed. It's not like he was going to witness it by himself, he was catering the whole event, and he had to give satisfaction. He was not even a good dancer anyway, he reminded himself. And it was better staying here alone than seeing the prince getting the attentions of all the single princesses present tonight, fighting to catch his eye and dream of marriage and becoming queen.

He had no say in the matter of course and he chastised himself for letting his mind wander like that. He could lose his job as head chef of the castle’s kitchens, a position he had worked hard to obtain. But ever since he had met the prince, he had had been mesmerized and slowly, but surely, he fell for that smile, this sparkle in his eyes whenever he was in the kitchen. Ciro had learnt all his favourite dishes quickly and now he was the only one the prince trusted for any food matter.

He stopped for a moment, daydreaming of the handsome prince. Two days ago, he had caught him only in his under-shirt, after sword training. Ciro had almost tripped and dropped the wine bottles he was carrying. Prince Alessandro had smiled and flirted shamelessly with Ciro who only got flustered and panicked in return, but a little bit more in love still.

"Come out of your cave. You need to relax and a ball is perfect for you!"

Ciro jumped. He turned and only saw Prince Alessandro, alone and laughing quietly. His eyes, though, had a very strange something in them he could not quite place for once.

"Y-your Highness" Ciro stammered, bowing.

He was already getting flustered. Just seeing Alessa- Prince Alessandro he corrected himself, in his ball attire, handsome as ever and smiling to him like that, was enough to make Ciro's heart beating fast. He gulped, trying to calm himself down.

"How many times should I tell you to call me Alessandro when it's just the two of us ?"

Yes, just two of them. Ciro loved and dreaded the sound of that, all at the same time. He should not even think about loving it. It was only paving the way to heartbreak and losing his job. At least, that's what he tried to repeat himself to bury his infatuation deep within himself. 

"You'll never ask it enough, I'm afraid." He answered with a sheepish smile.

The prince only chuckled and left his position at the threshold of the door to approach him. Ciro tried to concentrate on his task but he kept eyeing the prince every two seconds. He was afraid he might lose his resolve to stay here if he was any closer.

"Y-you should go back to the ball. You're sorely missed I'm sure."

He almost added _"especially by all these princesses"_ but restrained himself to do so. He had to appear neutral about the whole thing.

"I'm not enjoying myself." the Prince began.

Ciro looked up, worried, only to find he was way closer than he had imagined and he sucked in a breath. He could not even think of an answer, so Alessandro went on :

"I'm missing someone for the party to be complete."  
"Who's that ?" Ciro asked, his voice quivering  
"You."

Ciro thought he was going to burst, he needed to stop this right now.

"I- I can't. I have work t-to do."  
"I'm sure I can ask someone to replace you for a while. C'me on, you deserve your break and I've hardly been seeing you since you began preparing this whole thing."  
"I... I shouldn't" Ciro's resolve was growing thin.  
" _Please_." the prince pleaded, grasping Ciro's hands in his.

The cook could have sworn he was going to explode, this was too much. The contact of his skin seemed to burn him. But the minute he looked into those eyes, he knew he was lost.

"I'm not even dressed properly." His defence was all pretence now.  
"I don't care. You're my... Guest. What others may think don't matter to me. So please."

"Fine." Ciro conceded, mesmerized by the prince and the way he looked from this close. He could see every little details on his face such as how his nose was slightly crooked, surely from a battle.

Prince Alessandro put Ciro's hand in the crook of his arm and led the way back to the ballroom. They entered the room and some people stopped but most of them simply ignored them which was maybe the better option. The previous dance came to an end and another, of a slower style, succeeded it. The prince turned to Ciro, taking a deep breath and looking him in the eyes.

"Can I have this dance with the best cook in the world ?"

He was looking so hopeful and suave, he did not have the heart to say no.

So the prince took one of his hands and led him to the centre of the room. Ciro wanted to disappear, he was sure to make a fool out of himself and yet, something in the way the prince looked at him, in the way they held onto each other, told him nothing could ever happen to them, that everything would be fine.

It was strange to be in the prince's arms after dreaming about it so many times, but also so exhilarating in a way. Just as he had thought it would be, he couldn't see anything else than the prince, everything else was blurred, they were in their own world. He could feel his strong muscles on his back, even through the cape, and he sucked in a breath as Alessandro's hand – for he was Alessandro and not "Prince" or "Your Highness" at that moment, settled in the small of his back and gently squeezed Ciro's with his other one.

They moved and swayed and everything seemed so easy to the cook that he authorized himself to smile, gently, slightly.

"Here's that smile I was missing too." the prince said with a smile of his own.

Their eyes were locked together, they couldn't and they didn't want to see anything else. Only they mattered in this instant. Alessandro carefully pulled Ciro closer and both their hearts were racing. It was too dangerous, having their faces this close. It was playing with fire because the more he looked at the prince or his pink lips, the more he wanted to kiss him. And judging by the prince's looks, he suspected that he wasn't the only one. Maybe. Or was he just playing as always ?

Alessandro moved his face closer to Ciro's ear. The cook got chills just from the whispers of his voice :

"I'm finally enjoying myself thanks to you." He began. They went on dancing "You bewitched me first with your incredible cooking skills. You're the only one who can get this risotto just right." He chuckled and Ciro did too, though he was suffering a hard case of goose bumps. Alessandro went on. "So then I wanted to thank you for all the great meals. And that’s when I saw you. There was a storm and you were running around to secure our resources, you were helping out everyone. You were soaked to the bone and a bit dirty. But I swear I had never seen anything as beautiful as you in that moment."

Ciro shivered and felt his knees weakening so he held Alessandro tighter. His heart would come out of his chest any minute now with all the thumping and he gulped. This very much looked like a declaration. He had always assumed the prince was only flirting, merely teasing him: there was no way a prince could fall in love with him, and yet. Now, he didn't know anything anymore. And what was he supposed to do ? It was one thing to have the prince's affection, but he was still a mere commoner.

"I like you too. Very much." He blurted out before he could stop himself.

When he realised what he had said he blushed bright red and wanted to leave right this minute but Alessandro held on tight.

"Ciro… Ciro. It's okay." He reassured him with a soothing voice. "I'm... I'm glad. Very glad."  
"But we can't... I'm too low and there are so many expectations for you." Ciro tried to plead, but his voice was already faltering, barely believing in what he was saying.  
"I don't care. I'd give it all up for you."

Ciro gasped and once again felt he was going to faint. Alessandro felt it too and tightened his embrace. They were even closer now, more so than propriety allowed. Alessandro was bending his head towards Ciro's and the cook was panicking. It's not that he didn't want to. He had had dreams about it, in which he would kiss the prince and everything was simpler and they lived happily ever after. But here and now ? In front of everyone else ? He wasn't ready and he couldn't let Alessandro compromise himself like this, he didn't deserve it and he didn't want to be the one to make him abandon everything, as breath-taking as the news had been only seconds ago. He was saved by the dance ending and he quickly disentangled himself from Alessandro's grasp, whispering a heartbreaking _"I'm so sorry"_ before he left, almost running and tried to hide within the crowd and leave the room to go outside. He needed to breathe.

He found himself outside, near the garden. He saw a stoned bench nearby and sat there, breathing hard and loudly, trying to recover from everything that had just happened. The prince… Loved him. Or at least, was infatuated. And judging by what he had intended to do, he was not joking about what he said about giving all his positions up for him. This was too much pressure for a cook of lowly birth. Of course, if he looked deep within his heart, he couldn’t hide anymore, he couldn’t deny the feeling was mutual and had been for a long time now. But he had always thought nothing would ever happen because it wasn’t meant to be, they were in two different worlds. And yet, tonight had proven nothing was improbable.

He cried then, without really noticing. If only things were simpler ! And now, with his hasty exit, he was sure he had spoilt everything. _Way to go, Ciro_ , he thought, sarcastic. He sat there and didn’t know how long it had been but then he heard a quivering whisper :

“Ciro...”

Only his name, almost like a prayer. And the voice was engraved in his mind, he exactly knew who was there : the prince had gone after him. He had gone after him ! He quickly tried to dry his tears while he stood up to face him. But he knew, when Alessandro’s eyes filled with worry and sorrow that he knew anyway. 

“Your Highness.” Ciro did not know how he had managed to let the words out of his mouth.

“Ciro, please.” The prince was pleading and it pained the cook to cause him grief. 

“I’m sorry.” He muttered. “I just… I don’t want to be the cause of your downfall. I don’t deserve it. I’m only a cook, my parents were farmers. What power could I possibly have to be worthy of you ?”

The prince rushed to him and grabbed his hands, squeezed him hard :

“You have every power : you have my heart.” To further prove his point, he placed one of Ciro’s hands over his heart. “Don’t ever undermine yourself. You are the kindest soul I have ever met. You are a good and selfless man, Ciro. And that is worthy enough for me. I couldn’t care less if your parents are farmers or if they had been dukes or kings. I love you, for who you are. And that’s all that matters.”

Ciro gasped for air. He was sure his heart had stopped several times. Speechless, he just threw himself into the prince’s tight embrace, letting the last tears fall, this time sweeter. Once he calmed down, soothed by Alessandro’s kind words and embrace, he pulled back but stayed close. From above, they could hear the faint music from the musicians and the prince extended his hand to him :

“Can I have this new dance with you ?”

“With all my heart.” The cook replied, his throat dry and the words barely coming out with the emotion.

Alessandro kissed his hand and they began swaying around the garden, lost in their own world. They smiled more freely, pulled each other closer without any second thought.

“I have dreamt about this for a long time, truth be told. You are handsome obviously, I was not left unharmed after I first saw you.” Ciro began. He thought he owed him the same honesty he had shown him earlier. 

They both chuckled.

“But there was nothing. It’s not like I expected you to claim the kitchen as your second home.” New chuckles from them both. “But I got to know you. And you are mesmerizing. You are generous, funny, brave. You are truly the very definition of a prince charming. I fell for you but I never thought your flirting could be anything other than some teasing of sorts.”

“It was all sincere. Always.” Alessandro clarified.

“I know that now. And I love you. This will never be easy, I’m afraid, given our positions but I love you in spite of everything. For who you are. 

Alessandro smiled from utter joy and hid his face in the crook of Ciro’s neck and the latter tightened their embrace. They went on dancing until they both stopped on their own accord. They looked at one another, dark eyes meeting under the covered moon. They approached their faces, at a painfully slow pace. They hesitated when their mouths were barely millimetres away from each other.

“ _Alessandro_.” Ciro whispered, almost prayed, almost pleaded. 

The prince locked their lips together. It was a sweet and soothing kiss, one of love and way too long pinning. It lasted a few seconds until they pulled back, their eyes still closed.

“You finally called me by my name.” Alessandro joked. 

They both laughed before they shared another kiss. This one held more passion but was sweet all the same. They got surprised by the pouring rain right in the middle of it and they only laughed and kissed again, not caring in the least that they were already soaked. They knew their love would face hardships but in that moment, they were both happy and didn’t care for anything else than the other. There would be a time to talk and be strong. But tonight they could just be two young men in love and carefree and it was all what mattered.


End file.
